If you fancy we can buy an ice-cream cone
Last night I listened to (and re-appreciated) one of my favorite albums, XTC’s 1986 song cycle Skylarking. A result of tumultuous recording sessions which mostly broke out in arguments between lead singer Andy Partridge and producer Todd Rundgren (of “sounds of the studio” fame), Skylarking was the mid-’80s answer to the intricately arranged chamber-pop masterpieces of the 1960s. The closest comparison would be the equally British The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, which came out 18 years prior.
Skylarking followed on the coattails of an earlier foray into more pastoral music, 1983’s Mummer. While the more rocking The Big Express was sandwiched between the two, Mummer and Skyarking laid the groundwork for XTC’s future style. Previously, the group was known for jittery, keyboard-heavy punk and new wave. The move toward more sophisticated sounds came around 1982’s English Settlement, best remembered for its single “Senses Working Overtime”.
Many fans and critics consider Skylarking to be XTC’s magnum opus. Indeed, it was by this point that XTC had become primarily a studio band, having ceased touring after Partridge’s stagefright grounded the band in March of 1982. Not unlike unlike The Beatles before them who also became pioneers of the recording studio, XTC shifted towards a more experimental sound. During these sessions, the band would record five LPs (including Skylarking), as well as material under the name The Dukes Of The Stratosphear. This project was the group’s homage to the ’60s psychedelia that had influenced them. The Zombies, The Byrds, early Pink Floyd: all were saluted over the course of an album and an EP.
Since its release, Skylarking has inspired more than a few artists to pick up both a guitar and a cello. The lush and melancholy arrangements of “That’s Really Super, Supergirl” and “1000 Umbrellas” are echoed in Belle & Sebastian’s and The Decemberists‘ earlier recordings, and even the biting lyrics of “Dear God” aren’t too far off from Trent Reznor’s sentiments in “Heresy”.
About a year ago, Partridge told Pitchfork Media that he had lost contact with songwriting partner and bassist/vocalist Colin Moulding. Having released their final album, Wasp Star: Apple Venus Vol. 2, back in 2000, the future might seem bleak for fans of XTC. Thankfully, collaborations with countless artists keep the members of XTC in the spotlight, even if they’d rather be waiting in the wings.